New Visit Ukiah website launches

A new website focused on helping visitors explore Ukiah was launched last week after being completed by the Walnut Creek firm that created Visit Ukiah's new "Far Out. Nearby" campaign.

"We think (the website's) very comprehensive, easy to navigate and a really useful tool," said Shannon Riley, program administrator for the Visit Ukiah program, which is funded by the money the City of Ukiah receives from the Transient Occupancy Tax.

Z Group Communications was paid $21,000 from the TOT to create a marketing campaign for the city that includes the new tagline, the website and a brochure. Riley said she expects the brochure to "go to press in the next couple of weeks."

In the meantime, the website at www.VisitUkiah.com offers visitors an introduction to the city, directions and sample itineraries such as "Omnivores Delight," "Hit the Course or Hit The Trail," "Green to the Core," and "Historic, Artistic Ukiah."

The itineraries showcase local eateries, the Farmers Market, wineries, golf course and disc golf courses, the City of 10,000 Buddhas and the Grace Hudson Museum.

"We've even heard from residents that they now have an increased awareness of what Ukiah has to offer," Riley said. "We've also found that a lot of our residents didn't really see Ukiah as a wine region."

Another feature of the website that Riley described as a "tremendous asset" is the event calendar.

"There really hasn't been a comprehensive attraction program (for Ukiah) ever, to our knowledge," said Riley, explaining that previously, information about Ukiah events was spread out across websites for the Ukiah Chamber of Commerce, the City of Ukiah and others.

The website is populated with photographs and copy suggested by Z Group as part of its "Far Out. Nearby" campaign, such as "Born to be Wild" for the farmers market, "Meet Our Old Lady" for the Grace Hudson Museum, and "Go With the Flow" for the wine industry.

"The brand development process gave us a story that is unique and has longevity," Riley said. "Everything has been designed according to that story. When visitors interact with our brand, we want them to experience something different."

Riley said the campaign was not created for the City of Ukiah, but is "an advertising campaign that is managed by Visit Ukiah, paid for with hotel bed tax from out-of-town visitors, and directed toward potential visitors, primarily in the Bay Area. The (Visit Ukiah) program was created when the Ukiah voters passed Measure X in 2006, which increased the local bed tax and dedicated that increment to the promotion of the Ukiah area."

Riley said new advertisements based on the campaign have been created, and one featuring the work of local artists and photographers is featured in the February issue of Sunset Magazine.

"We are also toying with the idea of merchandise such as Tshirts and mugs (with the tagline)," Riley said, adding that the tagline "Far Out. Nearby" has been trademarked. She said a few mugs were created with the new logo and tagline, and Visit Ukiah may consider ordering more if there is demand.

Justine Frederiksen can be reached at udjjf@ukiahdj.com, on Twitter @JustFrederiksen or at 468-3521.